


Baby Steps

by Burgie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, Miqo'te WoL, female WoL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21883123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Veronyka comforts Lyse after the confrontation with the Skulls.
Relationships: Lyse Hext/Warrior of Light, well kind of it's still in the will-they-won't-they stage
Kudos: 6





	Baby Steps

Watching Lyse storm off, Veronyka bit her bottom lip, trying to remain rooted to the spot, to resist the urge to go running after her. After all, Meffrid was sighing and shaking his head, saying that Lyse probably just needed to cool off. Which was true. But seeing her walk out the gate, the last bit of Veronyka’s resolve snapped.

“I’ll go after her,” said Veronyka, reaching for her mage staff though she knew not why. What was she going to do? Cast a sleep spell on Lyse? No, she wouldn’t do that. This time. She’d only done that once, when grief over Papalymo’s death and excitement over coming here had mixed into a potent cocktail of insomnia. Lyse had thanked her for it the next day, of course. With a soft murmur about how Papalymo had once done the same.

Though, there was always the slight possibility that Lyse could go out and get herself into trouble when she was this upset. Hells, Veronyka had been surprised that Lyse hadn’t punched the broken bridge or something, with how much she’d been shaking with rage as her former Gyr Abanians had attacked Wercrata, their own kin, while he’d simply lain there and taken it. Not even his chocobo had fought back, as Veronyka had expected. Though, she supposed, not all chocobos were trained in combat.

Yet Lyse wasn’t taking out her anger on the local wildlife when Veronyka found her. Not yet, at least. Or, well, not the fauna…

“What did the flowers ever do to you?” Veronyka asked as she sat down beside Lyse, laying her staff beside her. Lyse’s brows were furrowed, blue eyes sparking with anger as she plucked fistfuls of flowers out of the ground and left them in a pile. Lyse looked up, though, stilling her hands as Veronyka took a seat beside her. A new flush crept over her face now, up her neck which she rubbed the back of, smearing green sap from the flowers over her skin.

“Sorry,” said Lyse, her voice sounding a little choked. She cleared her throat. “I just- I’m so angry. And I couldn’t even do anything! Hells, the one thing I did think of doing, the one thing that I even could do, would’ve made the whole situation so much worse! He was right. I don’t belong here. I may have been born Ala Mhigan, but… I’m as much a stranger to this land as a native Eorzean.” Her fists clenched, arms still trembling, and Veronyka saw for the first time a glimpse of what Lyse must have looked like in the wake of her sister’s death. Scared. Alone. Out of her depth. “What am I even doing here? Papalymo would know what to do. Yda would know what to do. My father would know what to do. But they’re not here and I am and…” She sighed, brushing a knuckle over her cheek, leaving a smear of dirt.

“Knowing that something has to happen and actually making that thing happen are two completely different things,” said Veronyka. “You think it’s as simple as just killing some Garleans but there’s so much more going on here. I thought it’d be as simple as killing some primals, and then Tedji… and I couldn’t even do anything!”

“Well, I’m not going to go ahead and become a dark knight,” said Lyse. “That may have worked for you, but… I’m a one class kind of girl. You know how it is.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest that,” said Veronyka with a laugh that she barely felt. “Just… it’s hard. And it’s okay to struggle with it and be upset about it. Especially since you’ve been working towards this your whole life.”

“I thought I’d have more time!” said Lyse. “I thought I’d have Papalymo. Sure, I knew it was coming, but- fucking Ilberd ruined everything!”

“You’ve got me,” said Veronyka. “Even if I’m not much help in the smarts department. And Alphinaud, I’m sure he’s learned a lot from his earlier mistakes. Please say you don’t blame him.”

“He’s just as much a victim as Minfilia and Papalymo,” said Lyse, watching Veronyka carefully. She remembered a time when just the mere mention of the Antecedent’s name would have caused the miqo’te to shut down completely, retreat into herself. Now, Lyse was the only one feeling that raw pain of loss. She turned her hands to the wild flowers growing around her again, needing to do something with her hands.

“You brought the cavalry, Lyse,” said Veronyka. Her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face. “Speak of the cavalry…”

“Huh?” Lyse looked up, delighted to see a familiar pink chocobo approaching her. With a soft kweh, Stormy lowered his head to be petted before settling down in front of Lyse, almost sitting in her lap.

“There, your very own emotional support chocobo,” said Veronyka, flashing Lyse a grin. “He’s good at that. Maybe because I started training him as a healer.”

“Name one nice healer, I’ll wait,” Lyse muttered.

“Urianger,” said Veronyka immediately. Lyse snorted, a smile gracing her lips before it swiftly passed.

“And Y’shtola, I guess,” said Lyse. “I guess the Scions lucked out in getting the nice healers.”

“You’ve met Astrid and Anjelain, right?” Veronyka asked. “They’re absolute sweethearts. The Scions and Solar both lucked out in getting the nice healers. And you brought both of them here to help Ala Mhigo. I think that counts as doing something useful.”

“I guess,” said Lyse, and Veronyka didn’t need her dancer training to know that the darkness had lifted from her friend, just a little. Now, rather than leaving the plucked flowers in a messy pile, Lyse began to place them atop Stormy, who didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“I was angry too, back there,” said Veronyka.

“I know,” said Lyse, another smile fluttering across her lips, there and then gone. “Good thing Jack was there to hold us both back.”

“It’s kind of his job,” said Veronyka, remembering how her Hrothgar friend who’d adopted her as his daughter in all but name had wrapped an arm around her middle, snatching her staff before she could cast a spell that would ruin everything. How his other arm had gone to holding Lyse, Zelda and Alessa silencing them with hands clapped over their mouths and eyes that had bespoken death to the scene happening before them.

“Do the people here really just see me as a pampered little princess?” Lyse asked, looking at her hands, which definitely didn’t look as rugged as those belonging to other fighters.

“Looks can be deceiving,” said Veronyka. “I look like a wide-eyed adventurer but I’m not.”

“You did lose the spark in your eyes for a while there, though,” said Lyse, recalling the dull-eyed miqo’te who’d rescued her out in Thanalan. How it had taken weeks for that spark to return, and how glad she’d been to see it return. To know that she’d put it there. Still…

“And you put it back,” said Veronyka, as if reading her mind.

“Mind-reading isn’t a black mage ability, is it?” Lyse asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Veronyka asked, tilting her head to one side. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“No reason,” said Lyse. “Anyway, yeah I gave you back your spark but… you’re one person. And that took weeks. These are so many people who’ve been like this for so long and… I don’t know if I can fix that.”

“We’ll find a way,” said Veronyka. “I promise. We’ll fight whatever needs fighting and help rebuild as much as we can.”

“Did I give you back that optimistic streak as well?” Lyse asked, some of the heaviness lifting from her chest.

“You and Solar, yes,” said Veronyka. “But don’t you see? Together, we can do anything.”

Seeing the light in Veronyka’s eyes, Lyse was of two minds. One: that this was the opposite of how they’d been back outside of Little Ala Mhigo, how now she was the one in need of having her spark reignited. And two: that she wondered if Veronyka would mind if she tried to make a move. But just as quickly as the second desire had appeared, she dashed it. Now was not the time. Not when she still had to wipe away tears every few moments.

Mercifully, approaching footsteps caught Lyse’s attention, and she looked up to find the man from before, the one who’d called her a spoiled little princess. Veronyka’s hand immediately hovered over her mage staff, even if the man posed no physical threat. He’d still made Lyse cry, and that was enough of a threat.

“Do you see now, Lyse?” he asked. “Years of thinking can’t be changed in a day. I’m sorry, but it can’t.”

“I know,” said Lyse, casting her eyes downwards. “I’m sorry.” He rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Is that a chocobo or a pile of flowers?” he asked, glancing at Stormy. Lyse snorted, Veronyka giggling as Stormy’s head poked out of the pile of flowers.

“It was this or beat up the local wildlife,” said Lyse.

“Well, it sure would make a pretty bouquet,” said the man, winking. Lyse blushed, but mercifully, Veronyka was busy petting Stormy’s head and grinning at him. By the time he’d walked away, Veronyka had turned her attention back to Lyse, and the blush had faded.

“Maybe it can’t be changed in a day,” said Veronyka. “But everything has to start somewhere. One day at a time.” After all, hadn’t she taken it one day at a time when she’d been recovering from her grief? Every day, the pain had lessened slightly, replaced by anger at first before Lyse, in her way, had cracked open that exterior and let the sunshine come pouring through again. So that by the time Solar had arrived in Thanalan, she’d been better. Scarred, maybe, and still a little fragile, but ready. Ready enough to not lapse back into that darkness after seeing Minfilia again, after seeing her depart for another world.

As if her words had spoken him into being, another young man approached. This one they both recognized, and Veronyka reached for Lyse’s hand to give it a squeeze.

“Come to have another go, have you?” Lyse asked, the old fire back in her voice.

“No, actually,” said the young man, brushing a hand over grey-blue hair. “I thought about what you said, and… well, I’d like to fight back. Join the Resistance.”

“Really?” Veronyka asked. “After what you said?”

“I’m sorry, alright?” said the youth. “But I am sick of living like this. Living in terror. Unable to fight back.”

“What changed your mind?” Lyse asked. “If I can ask, I mean.”

“I mean… those adventurers you brought in with you look like they could pose a genuine threat,” said the youth, gesturing to Solar, still milling about inside the fences of Ala Gannah. “If they’re on your side, we might just have a shot.”

“Then we’ll be glad to have you, welcome aboard,” said Lyse, rising to her feet and holding her hand out for the youth to shake. Which he did, a firm grip that held promise.

“I’ll start packing my things and head for the reach, then,” said the youth, giving her a friendly grin. Veronyka ignored the strange stab of jealousy, though it did prompt her to rise to her feet.

“See?” said Veronyka, nudging Lyse as the youth walked off, Lyse looking after him. “I knew you could do it.” Lyse flashed her a grin, and this time, it stayed, reaching eyes that were still a little bloodshot.

“Thanks to you and Solar,” said Lyse, excitement slowly pushing out the pain of insults, of feeling like an imposter in her own homeland. “Wow, this is…”

“Still think you’re useless?” Veronyka asked, grinning at her. On an impulse, she butted her forehead against Lyse’s, surprised when Lyse cupped her face with her hands. Surprised that she liked it.

“Thank you,” said Lyse, grinning at her. And then, reality reasserted itself, reminding her of everything, and she let go of Veronyka’s face, pulling away. “Sorry, got a little carried away.”

“Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me,” said Veronyka, though she was surprised at the pang of disappointment that it hadn’t gone further than a gentle headbutt.

“Right, we have to get back to the Reach and prepare for our new recruit,” said Lyse. “And see if anyone else has had luck.”

“Yep, good idea,” said Veronyka, nodding, her cheeks still burning. Stormy got to his feet with a kweh, flowers cascading from his back and then flying through the air as he flapped his wings and wiggled his tailfeathers. He cooed as Veronyka stroked her hand down his neck, still looking after Lyse as she made her way back inside Ala Gannah, her step lighter, to tell Solar the good news.

And gods, it was good to see her so happy now.


End file.
